technology

Spurgeon Appraisals has embraced modern technology as much as possible to help us complete your appraisal in an efficient, accurate manner. This below list represents the technology most commonly used by our appraisers, but we are always looking for new ways to speed up the process of completing appraisals to save you time and money.

SoftwareFrom the time you order your appraisal, we use a variety of software to help us learn about your property and begin estimating its market value. Various mapping programs are of great help, and Google Earth gives us remarkably clear images when we need to view your property in detail from the office, both from above and from street view. We have also made extensive use of spreadsheets which not only present data clearly but which also perform intricate calculations to help us assess the value of soil types and buildings more quickly than we could before.

Online RecordsMuch information relevant to an appraisal can be found through the internet. Many county courthouses have made the effort to put their records online, and this can allow us to gather information from the office rather than driving to the courthouse. Another helpful resource are the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) which post propety listings online, making the search for comparable sales much easier. Both of these online services reduce the time we spend on your appraisal.

Mobile DevicesMobile phones and electronic tablets have become the equivalent of portable computers, and our appraisers often make deliberate use of these devices for everything from photographing the property, to note-taking, to accessing our office's server (with all of its information) from counties away.

Measuring ToolsThe measuring tape of yesterday has been replaced by measuring devices using lasers to take consistent, accurate measurements ofbuildings. The process of measuring a house or shed has been made much easier, leading to shorter, more convenient inspection times. It also lets us get back to the office more quickly to finish your appraisal report.

Programs for Sales and AppraisalsTo keep things moving quickly and effeciently, we make use of standardized form-based software both for managing our sale databases and writing appraisal reports. These programs do more than provide a fill-in-the-blank approach to compiling data: they assist in calculations as well. For residential reports, we make use of programs from A LA MODE, inc. Agricultural sales and reports are written with the AgWare programs DataLog and ClickForms. For commercial sales and reports, we use Datacomp and its companion program Edge. All of these are widely used in the appraisal profession.

PDF ReportsIn the past, appraisal reports needed to be printed, and you needed to wait for them to arrive via mail or come to our office to get them yourself. But thanks to email, we can email you a PDF of your finished appraisal report so you can get the results even sooner. This also allows us to reduce your fee, since we do not need to pay for printing and shipping. All PDF copies of appraisal reports bear the signature and seal of the appraiser, and clients may print as many copies of the report as they desire. Most of our clients make use of this service.